Antonio catraei



(No Model.)

A. GATRARI.

MARINE RAILWAY.

No. 353,12. Patented av. 23, 1886.

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N. PETERS. Phowuum m lm, Washmglon. D. c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFI E...

ANTONIO OATRARI, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND BARTHOLOMEO COSTA, OF SAME PLACE.

MARINE RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 353,121, dated November 23, 1886.

Application filed August 12, 1886. Serial No. 210,695. (No modeLl T aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ANTONIO OATRARI, a citizen of Italy, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Marine Railways, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in marine railways; and it consists in certain to novel features of construction, fully pointed out in the specification and claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a side elevation. Fig.

[5 2 is a plan or top view. Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line a: at, Fig. 1.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

In the drawings, the letter A designates a frame or platform firmly secured to the ground,

near the edge of the water, and supporting the inclined ways or tracks B,

C is the cradle or carriage, on which the vessel is secured in the usual way, and which is controlled by a chain or cable, D, one end of which is secured to the cradle at a and the other to the drum of a windlass, (not shown,) so that when the latter is turned the cradle is moved either up or down on theways B. To se cure an easy movement, roller-frames D are 0 introduced between the cradle and the ways B.

On the outer sides of the cradle are secured two pawls, E, which, when in working position, engage two corresponding rack-bars, F, loosely mounted on the outer sides of the ways B.

The rack-bars are guided by bearings 22, and can be moved in an endwise direction, the limit of such motion being controlled by the stops 0 and d. The pawls E turn 011 pivots e, secured in the cradle, and each of them is connected by a cord or link, f, with the arm 9 of one of the bell-crank levers h, turning on a pivot, i, projecting from the upper surface of the cradle. The other arms, j, of the bellcrank levers are connected by cords It to a 5 winding-post, Z, the upper end of which carries an arm, 122. By turning the winding'post the cords k are wound up on the same, thereby turning the bell-crank levers on their pivots, causing them to act on the pawls E and dis- 5o engaging them from the rack-bars F, in which position they will be held so long as the cords 7a are wound on the winding-post. The weight of the free end of the pawls is such that if the winding-post is released after the cords k are wound thereon it will cause said cords to unwind by turning the post, and drops the pawls into engagement with the rack-bars F.

As the object of the pawls is to prevent the cradle from sliding down the incline in case of the breakage of the chain or cable D, so long E0 as the latter is intact, it is desirable to have said pawls disengaged from the rack-bars; but as it is necessary that the pawls should act instantly as soon as the cable breaks, and before the cradle with its load can gain any headway, I have made their action dependent on said breakage, as follows: The cable, as above described, is connected at one end to the cradle at a, and as it is drawn taut by the action of the Windlass it acts on a weight, G, which is guided in slides a, secured to the front end of the cradle, raising said weight until the stop 0, which projects from its upper surface, engagesthe arm on on the winding-post, thereby holding the latterfrom turning and preventing the unwinding of the cords 7t, and holding all the parts in the position shown in Fig. 10f the drawings. If the cableshould break while the parts are in this position,the weight would drop down, releasing the arm at on thewind- 8o ing-post, and permitting the pawls to drop into engagement with the rack-bars, and stopping the cradle before it has attained any mo mentum in its downward passage.

By the means above described the shock caused by the sudden engagement of the pawls with the rack-bars would have to be withstood by the latter, and in case of any weakness or imperfection might cause the teeth on said rack-bar to break or strip off. To offset go this sudden shock the rack-bars F are made to yield in the direction of their length as the weight of the'cradle is brought to bear against them by means of the pawls, and then gradually come to a halt against the stops 0, thereby 5 relieving them of the sudden strain. This is accomplished by means of wedge-shaped projections p on the outer sides of the rack-bars, which bear against two short roller-frames, q,

mounted on springs r in stationary boxes s,

the whole forming elastic brake-shoes K,which act on the rack-bars. These boxes are held the rack-bars.

parallel to the outer or inclined sides of the projections 12 by wedges 15, so that their lower ends are nearer to each other than their upper ends.

The springs 1", which press against the backs of the roller-frames q, serve to hold the latter against the projections 12 with sufficient force to hold the rack-bars F in position when at rest; but when the weight of the cradle bears on the latter the projections 1) act on the springs with increasing force and the roller-fra1nes (1 yield gradually, acting as brakeshoes, until the rack-bars strike the stops 0, by this means permitting the rack-bars to take up the load gradually and preventing any sudden and dangerous strain.

To bring the rack-bars back to their normal positions after they have been forced against the stops 0, as above described, l employ cogwheels a, which are mounted on .a shaft, 1;, and engage teeth w,cnt into the lower edge of By turning the handle y the rack-bars can be moved back to their upper position against the stops (1.

WVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with the inclined ways B, the cradle O, and the cable D, of the raclc bars F, the pawls E, and the gravitating stop 0, substantially asdescribed.

2. The combination, with the inclined ways B, the cradle O, and the cable D, of the rack bars F, the pawls E, the bell-crank lever h, connected to the pawls, the cords k, the winding-post Z, carrying the arm on, and the weight 'G, provided with a stop, 0, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the inclined ways B, the cradle (Land the cable D, of the movable rack-bars F, the pawls E, the gravitating stop 0, the elastic brakeshoes'K, constructed to act on the rack-bars, and the stops 0, sub stantially as described.

4. The combination, with the inclined Ways B, the cradle C, and the cable D, of the movable raek-bars F, the pawls E, the gravitating stop 0, the wedge-shaped projectionsp, formed on the rack-bars, the elastic brakeshoes K, constructed to act on said projections, and the stops 0, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the inclined Ways B, the cradle C. and the cable D, of the movable rack-bars F, the pawls E, the gravitating stop 0, the wedgeshaped projeetionsp, formed on the rack-bars, the roller-frames q, the springs a", constructed to act on said rollerframes, and the stops 0, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with the inclined ways B, the cradle O, and the cable D, of the movable rack-bars F, the pawls E, the gravitating stop 0, the wedge-shaped projections 19, formed on the rack-bars, the roller-frames q, the springs r, mounted in the boxes 3, and constructed to act on the'roll er-frames, the wedges t, adapted to hold said boxes in an inclined position, and the stops 0, substantially as shown and described.

7. The combination, with the inclined ways B, the cradle (J, and the cable D, of the mov able rack-bars F, the pawls E, the bell-crank levers h, connected to said pawls, the cords k,

, ANTONIO OATRARI. [L

Vitnesses:

A. FABER DU FAUR, Jr., E. F. 1ASTENHUBER. 

